Sadhvi was not put through multiple narco tests: ATS

Mumbai, Nov 12 (IANS) The Anti-Terrorist Squid (ATS) of the Mumbai police Wednesday denied that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, arrested in connection with the Malegaon bomb blasts, was subjected to multiple narco-analysis tests.ATS chief Hemant Karkare explained that narco-analysis involves several tests, which depending on the opinon of the forensic doctors, may be conducted simultaneously or in a staggered manner.

“Sadhvi Pragya was called four times to the Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Mumbai, for the test as per the doctor’s advice. The police do not decide on how to conduct the tests,” he clarified.

Thus, the Sadhvi has been subjected to various sub-tests of only one narco-analysis test, according to the ATS.

Earlier Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Gopinath Munde alleged that the Sadhvi was subjected to three narco-analysis tests, while the Indian Mujahideen (IM) activists arrested in connection with the serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Delhi were not subjected to such tests.

Karkare confirmed that in a joint operation with the Uttar Pradesh police, the ATS had in the afternoon “picked up” Dayanand Pandey alias Sudhakar Dwivedi from Kanpur in connection with the Malegaon blast case.

He revealed that according to investigations, Pandey was closely linked with the group that had carried out the Malegaon blast, had attended their meeting and had played a major role in the blast conspiracy.

The Sep 29 Malegaon blast had killed six people and injured 20.

After his interrogation under detention, a decision will be taken on when to formally arrest Pandey and seek his remand, the ATS chief added.

He said there might be a couple of more persons involved in the case, but declined to reveal more on the ground this would hamper the investigations.

Karkare also denied that it was investigating or planning to act against any political leader or that it had sent a team to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh in this connection as suggested by some media reports.